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1994-01-05
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EVANS ON CHESS. May 14, 1993.
By GM Larry Evans (Copyright)
A NEW PRODIGY
What do math, music and chess have in common? Not much -- except for being
the only three fields that always produce child prodigies.
In the last 150 years of chess history, a handful of wunderkinder fulfilled
their early promise. Paul Morphy was the greatest player in an era before the
title existed, but he gave up chess by 25. Other prodigies went on to wrest
the world crown: Capablanca (at 32), Fischer (at 29), Kasparov (at 22).
Yet countless young talents fell by the wayside, usually because they lost
interest or couldn't make a living from chess. Spain's Arturo Pomar at 13
had world champ Alekhine on the ropes at Gijon in 1944 but let him escape
with a draw; a decade later Pomar was no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Henrique Mecking at 13 won the championship of Brazil; a decade later his
career was cut short by illness.
But Samuel Reshevsky (1911-1992) had an illustrious career spanning nine
decades. He began touring at six, giving displays during WWI against 20 or
more players at once. "You play war, I play chess," little Sammy consoled one
of his victims, a general. Sammy later won the USA championship many times.
The amazing exploits of Hungary's three Polgar sisters, whose father trained
them in chess since they were toddlers, buried the myth that it's a hobby for
greybeards. Judith Polgar, 16, edged former world champ Boris Spassky, 56, in
a ten game match at Budapest in February. Both she and Bobby Fischer earned
the grandmaster title at 15.
But records are made to be broken. In April, Hungary's Peter Leko, 13, won a
fairly strong round robin in Budapest with 8.5 - 2.5 to post his first GM
norm. Slightly older than Judith when she performed a similar feat, Leko now
has two more years to do it again and become the youngest grandmaster ever.
Let's see how Leko outwitted GM Joseph Horvath, 28, who made an even score in
a field of 12. Theory says the safest path is 5...Be7. Instead Black tried to
improve on an earlier game (Leko-Farago) which continued 8...0-0-0 9 c5 g6 10
Nc3 Bg7 11 g3 Qf6 12 Be3 with a pull for White.
Horvath went astray at move 10. In his notes Leko suggests 10...Qxd4! 11 Nc3
Nxd5 12 Nxd5 Qxd5 13 Re1 Qe6 14 Bf4 Qxe2 15 Rxe2 Be6 16 Bxc7 with equality.
Later he points out that Black's best chance was 12...Nxc3! 13 Bxc6 bxc6 14
bxc3 0-0! bringing the King to a safe port.
The crusher was 20 d5! to open lines of attack. Black can hold out a trifle
longer by 22...Bd8 but 23 Rfd1 Rd6 24 Bc5 Re6 25 Be3 Rd6 26 Bf4 Rd7 27 Qa6
Kb8 28 Rc3 kills.
White: Peter Leko
Black: Joseph Horvath
Petrov Defense 1993
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 Nxe4 4 Bd3 d5 5 Nxe5 Nd7 6 Nxd7 Bxd7 7 0-0 Qh4 8 c4
Nf6?! 9 Qe2 Be7 10 cxd5 Nxd5? 11 Be4! Bc6 12 Nc3 0-0-0? 13 Qf3 Nxc3 14 Bxc6
Ne2 15 Qxe2 bxc6 16 Be3 Rd6 17 Qa6 Kd7 18 Rac1 Rg6 19 g3 Qe4 20 d5! cxd5 21
Qb5 Kc8 22 Bxa7 Bd6 23 Qb8 Kd7 24 Qxh8 Black Resigns